For a short, agonising period Manchester United's supporters must have feared the death knell had sounded on their title hopes. At 2.21pm, to be precise, when Gareth Bale swung over a corner and Ledley King outjumped a leaden-footed Michael Carrick to make the game 1-1 with a precise header beyond Edwin van der Sar.

But then United reminded us that there is no better second-half team in the country. The champions, missing Wayne Rooney, were conspicuously below their best, prosaic at times, but they always seem to have faith in themselves. They never lose hope; always keep going. Seldom will you see a United player slump his shoulders and accept it is going to be a bad day.

At Manchester City last week Paul Scholes's winner was delivered 17 seconds from the end of the three minutes of allotted stoppage time. The drama was not quite so acute this time but, even so, United scraped at their supporters' nerves once again. There were nine minutes to go when Nani lifted his pitch-wedge of a shot over Heurelho Gomes to make it 2-1. Then Nani's meandering run four minutes later was abruptly ended by Wilson Palacios. Ryan Giggs scored his second penalty of the afternoon and, for a few minutes at least, the crowd could relax.

The outcome is that United now lead Chelsea by two points at the top of the Premier League, with Carlo Ancelotti's side playing Stoke City at Stamford Bridge tomorrow. Tottenham Hotspur, simultaneously, will be looking in their wing-mirrors at the other teams competing for the last Champions League qualification place with a bit more anxiety than before. Harry Redknapp's side were strangely subdued and their supporters can be frustrated in the extreme considering that United without Rooney still look like a flower without water.

Great players such as Giggs and Paul Scholes must regard it as an affront that United can be described as a one-man team but, for long spells, the tag stuck to them like a tick on the side of a dog. The tempo was too slow, too laboured, lacking any sense of purpose and thrust. They looked short of ideas, even dishevelled in the first half. Patrice Evra took one throw-in and Giggs, of all people, knocked the ball straight back out of play. Jonny Evans rolled a simple pass to Evra on the left touchline and the ball went straight under the Frenchman's foot.

Dimitar Berbatov won his quota of headers, demonstrated an appreciation of space and, overall, was one of the better players in red. But there is still something missing when he plays instead of Rooney. Ferguson's side lack the same kind of menace. They don't inspire the same feelings of apprehension and it is worrying for them that Rooney may not play again this season.

Yet they have guts. A couple of minutes into the second half Patrice Evra was on his hands and knees being physically sick. Once, twice, three times. Even when he insisted he wanted to carry on he was so obviously ill the referee, Andrew Marriner, went over a few minutes later and put a consoling arm around his shoulder. Within 60 seconds Evra was scampering into the opposition area to entice the challenge from Benoît Assou-Ekotto that led to the first of Giggs's penalties.

Before the end, Nani could also be seen throwing up on the other side of the pitch but by then the game was won. Neither team had played particularly well, but United, even without Rooney, had something that Tottenham lacked: know-how.